Ex-Gwent police chief lands ambulance role

FORMER chief constable of Gwent Mick Giannasi has been appointed chairman of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust.

Mr Giannasi retired from Gwent’s top police post in April 2011 after a 31-year career during which he was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for his outstanding contribution to policing.

He has been appointed to the £59,760-a-year ambulance trust post until March 31, 2016. Most recently Mr Giannasi, who was chief constable in Gwent for three years, has acted as a commissioner for the Isle of Anglesey county council, an appointment made by the Welsh Government after it intervened in the running of the authority.

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Health minister Professor Mark Drakeford said: “Mick’s experience will help us to lead the organisation through a period of very significant change, including full implementation of the output of the McClelland Review.”

Mr Giannasi joins the trust as it prepares for a fundamental change of role, through a series of changes recommended in the report of the McClelland Review.

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Comments (14)

What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?

What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?Bobevans

What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?

Score: 5

33daverave says...4:21pm Tue 28 Jan 14

Bobevans wrote…

What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?

None. It's just jobs for the boys.

[quote][p][bold]Bobevans[/bold] wrote:
What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?[/p][/quote]None.
It's just jobs for the boys.33daverave

Bobevans wrote…

What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?

None. It's just jobs for the boys.

Score: 7

Anne teak says...5:29pm Tue 28 Jan 14

Don't bother writing to him about service failures ... He doesn't do 'answering'.

Don't bother writing to him about service failures ... He doesn't do 'answering'.Anne teak

Don't bother writing to him about service failures ... He doesn't do 'answering'.

Score: 5

Jonnytrouble says...5:33pm Tue 28 Jan 14

Bobevans wrote…

What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?

Blue light's and sirens for a quick response to 999 calls ?

[quote][p][bold]Bobevans[/bold] wrote:
What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?[/p][/quote]Blue light's and sirens for a quick response to 999 calls ?Jonnytrouble

Bobevans wrote…

What skills does he bring to that post? What exactly does he know about managing a 999 Ambulance service?

Blue light's and sirens for a quick response to 999 calls ?

Score: 2

Jonnytrouble says...5:35pm Tue 28 Jan 14

£59,760-a-year what a waste ! bet he is having a laugh at our expense

£59,760-a-year what a waste ! bet he is having a laugh at our expenseJonnytrouble

£59,760-a-year what a waste ! bet he is having a laugh at our expense

Score: 4

Alessi says...6:23pm Tue 28 Jan 14

I wrote to Mr Giannasi twice when he was Chief Constable and he didn't reply to either letter. £59,760 pa, yes, but how many hours a week will he actually work? Please will someone from the Trust answer this so we all know. The Chief Constable job at Gwent Police is just like a merry go round. From memory we must have at least 6 in the last 15 years. It seems that it is just a means for getting a bigger pension and payoff before retiring and taking up another nondescript role with another public body. Jobs for the boys and well paid at that.

I wrote to Mr Giannasi twice when he was Chief Constable and he didn't reply to either letter.
£59,760 pa, yes, but how many hours a week will he actually work? Please will someone from the Trust answer this so we all know.
The Chief Constable job at Gwent Police is just like a merry go round. From memory we must have at least 6 in the last 15 years. It seems that it is just a means for getting a bigger pension and payoff before retiring and taking up another nondescript role with another public body. Jobs for the boys and well paid at that.Alessi

I wrote to Mr Giannasi twice when he was Chief Constable and he didn't reply to either letter. £59,760 pa, yes, but how many hours a week will he actually work? Please will someone from the Trust answer this so we all know. The Chief Constable job at Gwent Police is just like a merry go round. From memory we must have at least 6 in the last 15 years. It seems that it is just a means for getting a bigger pension and payoff before retiring and taking up another nondescript role with another public body. Jobs for the boys and well paid at that.

Score: 1

Aquarius says...7:56pm Tue 28 Jan 14

I don't remember Mr Giannasi being an especially noteworthy Chief Constable, and he was in the job for a relativley short space of time before 'retiring'. Then he got made one of the Commissioners overseeing Anglesey County Council, at the behest of the Welsh Goverment who needed to sort out problems on that council. And now this nice little number. Jobs for the boys? Perhaps - the jury is out on that one for the moment. We shall have to see how he performs. But someone who won't rock the boat for the Welsh Government? Definitely! That's why he's got the job probably....

I don't remember Mr Giannasi being an especially noteworthy Chief Constable, and he was in the job for a relativley short space of time before 'retiring'.
Then he got made one of the Commissioners overseeing Anglesey County Council, at the behest of the Welsh Goverment who needed to sort out problems on that council. And now this nice little number.
Jobs for the boys? Perhaps - the jury is out on that one for the moment. We shall have to see how he performs. But someone who won't rock the boat for the Welsh Government? Definitely! That's why he's got the job probably....Aquarius

I don't remember Mr Giannasi being an especially noteworthy Chief Constable, and he was in the job for a relativley short space of time before 'retiring'. Then he got made one of the Commissioners overseeing Anglesey County Council, at the behest of the Welsh Goverment who needed to sort out problems on that council. And now this nice little number. Jobs for the boys? Perhaps - the jury is out on that one for the moment. We shall have to see how he performs. But someone who won't rock the boat for the Welsh Government? Definitely! That's why he's got the job probably....

Score: 4

Aquarius says...7:59pm Tue 28 Jan 14

Anne teak wrote…

Don't bother writing to him about service failures ... He doesn't do 'answering'.

Well, as Chairman, he wouldn't generally have to do this. There is a Chief Executive and a senior management team in North Wales who do the 'answering' (supposedly). Generally it involves them waffling a lot when things go wrong and then trying to shovel the blame a lot further down the command chain - and as far away from them as possible. Perhaps Mr G will be the exception. Perhaps.

[quote][p][bold]Anne teak[/bold] wrote:
Don't bother writing to him about service failures ... He doesn't do 'answering'.[/p][/quote]Well, as Chairman, he wouldn't generally have to do this.
There is a Chief Executive and a senior management team in North Wales who do the 'answering' (supposedly). Generally it involves them waffling a lot when things go wrong and then trying to shovel the blame a lot further down the command chain - and as far away from them as possible.
Perhaps Mr G will be the exception. Perhaps.Aquarius

Anne teak wrote…

Don't bother writing to him about service failures ... He doesn't do 'answering'.

Well, as Chairman, he wouldn't generally have to do this. There is a Chief Executive and a senior management team in North Wales who do the 'answering' (supposedly). Generally it involves them waffling a lot when things go wrong and then trying to shovel the blame a lot further down the command chain - and as far away from them as possible. Perhaps Mr G will be the exception. Perhaps.

Score: 3

emlynkide says...10:18pm Tue 28 Jan 14

smells of secret hand shakes to me

smells of secret hand shakes to meemlynkide

smells of secret hand shakes to me

Score: 3

varteg1 says...10:35pm Tue 28 Jan 14

Part of the 'sideways promotion' scheme. Used to be slots for ex military officers. As the local NHS boards discovered to their costs.

Part of the 'sideways promotion' scheme.
Used to be slots for ex military officers. As the local NHS boards discovered to their costs.varteg1

Part of the 'sideways promotion' scheme. Used to be slots for ex military officers. As the local NHS boards discovered to their costs.

Score: 0

Markbusa says...12:40pm Wed 29 Jan 14

£60k for a time commitment of 15 days a month...masonic handshakes at work here...disgraceful.

£60k for a time commitment of 15 days a month...masonic handshakes at work here...disgraceful.Markbusa

£60k for a time commitment of 15 days a month...masonic handshakes at work here...disgraceful.

Score: 2

signal box says...12:44pm Wed 29 Jan 14

The Welsh Ambulance Service is an organisation that makes redundant or retires Senior Ambulance Officers / Senior Managers and replaces them with political appointments who have no operational experience of the Ambulance Service. This Chairman is the same person who when he was the Chief Constable of Gwent decried the Ambulance Service for requesting Police assistance in case a person died whilst in the care of a policeman. He could recommend that operational & control room staffing levels are match demand levels

The Welsh Ambulance Service is an organisation that makes redundant or retires Senior Ambulance Officers / Senior Managers and replaces them with political appointments who have no operational experience of the Ambulance Service.
This Chairman is the same person who when he was the Chief Constable of Gwent decried the Ambulance Service for requesting Police assistance in case a person died whilst in the care of a policeman. He could recommend that operational & control room staffing levels are match demand levelssignal box

The Welsh Ambulance Service is an organisation that makes redundant or retires Senior Ambulance Officers / Senior Managers and replaces them with political appointments who have no operational experience of the Ambulance Service. This Chairman is the same person who when he was the Chief Constable of Gwent decried the Ambulance Service for requesting Police assistance in case a person died whilst in the care of a policeman. He could recommend that operational & control room staffing levels are match demand levels

Score: 1

Alessi says...1:30pm Wed 29 Jan 14

The proportion of ambulances responding to the most serious and life-threatening calls within the eight minute target has fallen again, according to new figures. Statistics released this morning show that 57.6% of emergency responses to Category A (immediately life-threatening) calls arrived at the scene within eight minutes in December – down from 63.2% in November 2013 – and below the target of 65%. Unfortunately the Ambulance Service has been in a dire mess for sometime and in my opinion can't get any worse - it is at rock bottom. The only way is up now and Mr Giannasi may well be in the right place at the right time to live of any praise that might come along. Getting these posts is all about being in the right place at the right time and about who you know to pull a few strings. Then when things can only get better, because they can't get any worse, you convince the public that it was all your doing. Then you move on to another lucrative post. These people live in a different world to us with the except that they get to spend our taxes whereas we have ours taken by HMRC.

The proportion of ambulances responding to the most serious and life-threatening calls within the eight minute target has fallen again, according to new figures.
Statistics released this morning show that 57.6% of emergency responses to Category A (immediately life-threatening) calls arrived at the scene within eight minutes in December – down from 63.2% in November 2013 – and below the target of 65%.
Unfortunately the Ambulance Service has been in a dire mess for sometime and in my opinion can't get any worse - it is at rock bottom. The only way is up now and Mr Giannasi may well be in the right place at the right time to live of any praise that might come along. Getting these posts is all about being in the right place at the right time and about who you know to pull a few strings. Then when things can only get better, because they can't get any worse, you convince the public that it was all your doing. Then you move on to another lucrative post. These people live in a different world to us with the except that they get to spend our taxes whereas we have ours taken by HMRC.Alessi

The proportion of ambulances responding to the most serious and life-threatening calls within the eight minute target has fallen again, according to new figures. Statistics released this morning show that 57.6% of emergency responses to Category A (immediately life-threatening) calls arrived at the scene within eight minutes in December – down from 63.2% in November 2013 – and below the target of 65%. Unfortunately the Ambulance Service has been in a dire mess for sometime and in my opinion can't get any worse - it is at rock bottom. The only way is up now and Mr Giannasi may well be in the right place at the right time to live of any praise that might come along. Getting these posts is all about being in the right place at the right time and about who you know to pull a few strings. Then when things can only get better, because they can't get any worse, you convince the public that it was all your doing. Then you move on to another lucrative post. These people live in a different world to us with the except that they get to spend our taxes whereas we have ours taken by HMRC.

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